other people's plants (and fungi) (and guns)

Lee's dad and stepmom are traveling through the Badlands in an RV for six weeks. (I've no idea how they afford the gas.) While they're away, my job is to water the plants. To date, there has been one casualty -- a potted plant sitting on a small table on the front porch. I think I must have overlooked it during the first round of watering, as all the other plants are hanging in baskets. Today was round two, and while I was there, I took a few pix. Mushrooms are popping up all over the place what with the rain of late. Crape Myrtle grows wild; I like the bark more than the bloom -- the way the smooth brown slowly peels away to gray. The close-up is the leaf of an elephant ear; I like the vascular look of it.

Weird thing: We went for a drive this afternoon, past the organic garden in Warrior, through the one-lane tunnel with the train track on top, and up to the high school, where there was barbed wire spiraled around the entrance, along with a military hummer and some young men suited up in full fatigues, slinging guns. We stopped and gaped for a minute, and then one of them walked toward the car. Clearly he had friendly intentions, but still -- I don't much like the idea of an armed military person approaching my car, particularly when my kids are in it. He explained that they were in the Army National Guard and were preparing for an emergency. Okay. I mean, I suppose they have to do such things, and you never know -- they might end up saving my ass one day. But still. I wonder what sort of emergency they are expecting.